Morphological Change in Quaternary Mammals of North America

About this book

This book examines case studies of North American Quaternary mammalian evolution within the larger domain of modern evolutionary theory. The book presents previously unpublished studies of a variety of taxa (xenarthrans, rodents, carnivores, ungulates) examined over several temporal scales, from a few thousand years during the Holocene to millions of years of late Pliocene and Pleistocene time. Different organisational levels are represented, from mosaic population variation, to a synopsis of Quaternary evolution of an entire order (Rodentia). In addition to specific case histories, the book includes purely theoretical and methodological contributions, for example, on the statistical recognition of stasis in the fossil record, new ways to calculate evolutionary rates, and the use of digital image analysis in the study of dental ontogeny. Perhaps the most important aspect of the studies reported in this book is that they span the time between the `ecological moment' and `deep time'. Modern taxa can be traced back into the fossil record, and variation among extant taxa can be used as a control against which variation in the extinct ones can be understood. The book will interest vertebrate palaeontologists, modern ecologists concerned with the origin of biological diversity and also evolutionists interested in the competing evolutionary models of punctuated equilibrium and phyletic gradualism.

Contents

1. Quaternary mammals and evolutionary theory: introductory remarks and historical perspective Robert A. Martin and Anthony D. Barnosky; 2. A method for recognizing morphological stasis Deborah K. Anderson; 3. Mosaic evolution at the population level in Microtus pennsylvanicus Anthony D. Barnosky; 4. Variogram analysis of paleontological data Andrew P. Czebieniak; 5. Morphological change in quaternary mammals: a role for species interactions? Tamar Dayan, Daniel Simberloff and Eitan Tchernov; 6. Rates of evolution in Plio-Pleistocene mammals: six case studies Philip D. Gingerich; 7. Patterns of dental variation and evolution in prairie dogs, genus Cynomys H. Thomas Goodwin; 8. Quantitative and qualitative evolution in the giant armadillo Holmesina (Edentata: Pampatheriidae) in Florida Richard C. Hulbert, Jr. and Gary S. Morgan; 9. Evolution of mammoths and moose: the holarctic perspective Adrian M. Lister; 10. Evolution of hypsodonty and enamel structure in Plio-Pleistocene rodents Larry D. Martin; 11. Patterns of variation and speciation in Quaternary rodents Robert A. Martin; 12. Decrease in the body size of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) during the late Holocene in South Carolina and Georgia James R. Purdue and Elizabeth J. Reitz; 13. Short-term fluctuations in small mammals of the late Pleistocene from Eastern Washington John M. Rensberger and Anthony D. Barnosky; 14. Size change in North American Quaternary jaguars Kevin Seymour; 15. Ontogenetic change of Ondatra zibethicus (Arvicolidae, Rodentia) cheek teeth analyzed by digital image processing Laurent Viriot, Jean Chaline, Andre Schaff and Eric Le Boulenge; 16. Morphological change in woodrat (Rodentia: Cricetidae) molars Richard J. Zakrzewski; Index.

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